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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Given Up for Dead- A Review

“Every day
brought more of the same: another dose of work that never got finished,
exhaustion that never ceased, a routine that never varied, and waiting that
never ended.” These lines perfectly sum up the days of siege of Wake Island,
the far-flung U.S. outpost, by Japan.

On December
8,1941, a few hours after the infamous bombing of the Pearl Harbour, the
Japanese forces attacked this tiny group of three islands. It was conceived to
be a point of immense strategic location for control over the Pacific during
World War II.

Surprised
by the attack, the unprepared battalion of marines, sailors and civilians
fought one of the bravest and ruthless wars in American history. They showed
courage, determination and perseverance unheard-of before. This book tells the
tale of their sacrifices and bravery through first-hand accounts of the
survivors.

The book
starts with PFC Wiley Sloman waking up among the enemy corpses thinking that he
has been given up for dead. Then the reader re-lives the agony of the past few
days on the island. When the first planes attack, he ducks for cover just like
the nearest gun crews. He feels the sorrow and gloom when the Wake Islanders
bury their dead. He celebrates their extraordinary achievements, endures rat
bites in fox holes and goes through the humiliations of the POW camps. He sees,
hears and feels all of it.

Bill Sloan,
with his simple and lucid style of writing, recreates those days from Hell
again in ink and paper. He captures the dilemmas faced by the commander of the
island, the decisions taken and the mistakes made with the eyes of a keen and
ruthless observer.

The most
touching moments in the book are undoubtedly those of the surrender and the
inhuman treatment meted out to the soldiers afterwards. With victory so close
at hand, virtually every fighter on Wake wanted to shoot down Major Devereux
when he came carrying the white flag. It seems those who died in action were
the luckiest of the lot. Those who were tough enough or lucky enough to survive
came through with permanent physical and mental scars.

This book
effectively serves as a token of appreciation and appreciation to all the
brave-hearts who defended the remote outpost with their lives. The author has
indeed succeeded in immortalizing those warriors and bringing them much of
their deserved glory. He pulled out fading heroes and told their story to the
world.

Revealing
details about the book isn’t on my plan. But what I can confidently say is that
it is an amazing read for all of you who have the stomach to experience the grueling
realities of war, the pain of losing loved ones and the ever-lasting will to
survive. Truly, Wake is the Alamo of the Pacific.

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At first look, I'm extremely normal. Well, I look the same at second look too! (They tell me I don't even look like an engineer!) I love each moment that life offers me, and the people it is filled with. Taking one day at a time, I believe in giving my best. A dreamer at heart, I hope my humble, non-important opinion can someday make even a grain of a difference in someone's life. Till then, it's me and you and our world of words!